REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION: ‘Hockey mom’ Palin uncorks bruising shots

St. Paul, Minn. —- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin made the case for her vice-presidential bid before an adoring throng Wednesday at the Republican National Convention, firing back at those who have questioned her qualifications and suitability for the nation’s second-highest office.

“I’ve learned quickly, these past few days, that if you’re not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone,” she said. “But here’s a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I’m not going to Washington to seek their good opinion. I’m going to Washington to serve the people of the country,” Palin said in her crucial debut before a national prime-time television audience.

Claiming her historic spot on the Republican ticket, Palin launched a slashing attack on Barack Obama and vowed to help John McCain bring real change to Washington.

“Victory in Iraq is finally in sight … he wants to forfeit,” she said of the Democratic presidential nominee. “Al-Qaida terrorists still plot to inflict catastrophic harm on America … he’s worried that someone won’t read them their rights. Government is too big … he wants to grow it.”

The packed convention hall roared at the 44-year-old governor’s every line, and marked her entrance and exit with extended rounds of shouts and applause. Signs proclaiming “Hockey Moms for Palin” bobbed amid the crowd in the Xcel Energy Center.

Seeking to turn a target of criticism to her favor, Palin touted her small-town government experience to ridicule concerns about whether she is up to the job of vice president.

“Before I became governor of the great state of Alaska, I was mayor of my hometown,” Palin said. “And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves. I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities.”

The remark was a not-so-veiled shot at the career of Obama, who began his public service as a community organizer in Chicago.

“I might add that in small towns we don’t quite know what to make of a candidate who lavishes praise on working people when they are listening and then talks about how bitterly they cling to their religion and guns when those people aren’t,” Palin said.

That was a reference to Obama’s springtime observation about some frustrated working-class Americans.

Anticipating a strong performance by the governor, Democrats were already countering the idea that Wednesday night’s appearance was a test of the vice presidential candidate, saying instead it was a reflection of McCain’s judgment in selecting her.

“In choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate, John McCain has made the first decision of his would-be presidency, and he did it based on one meeting and one phone call,” said Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus.

Palin made only an oblique reference to the controversy that has hung over her since the announcement she was joining the ticket last week, much of it surrounding her 17-year-old, unmarried pregnant daughter.

“Our family has the same ups and downs as any other, the same challenges and the same joys,” she said as the audience signaled its understanding.

She traced her career from the local PTA to the governor’s office, casting herself as a maverick in the McCain mold. Since taking office as governor, she said, she had taken on the oil industry, brought the state budget into surplus and vetoed nearly $500 million dollars in wasteful spending.

“I thought we could muddle through without the governor’s personal chef,” she said, “although I’ve got to admit that sometimes my kids sure miss her.”

As her speech ended, McCain, who is slated to speak tonight as he accepts the presidential nomination, joined her onstage and asked the audience, “Don’t you think we made the right choice?” The delegates roared their assent.

Also speaking were three of McCain’s former rivals for the nomination: former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Giuliani took issue with the Obama campaign and those who question the qualifications of Palin to be vice president. “Sorry it’s not cosmopolitan enough,” he said. “Maybe they cling to religion there.”

Huckabee tried to paint Obama as weak on national security. “Maybe the most dangerous threat of an Obama presidency is that he would continue to give madmen the benefit of the doubt,” he said. “If he’s wrong just once, we will pay a heavy price.”

And Romney took a swipe at Michelle Obama, without naming her: “Just like you, there has never been a day when I was not proud to be an American. We inherited the greatest nation in the history of the earth.”

The New York Times and the Associated Press contributed to this article.